HOUSTON: GUARDS: Houston has gutted its roster, and this is JEREMY LIN's team now. Coach Kevin McHale will use the same pick-and-roll offense he used with Goran Dragic, and Lin should do what he did in New York a year ago . . . KEVIN MARTIN is on the trade block. As long as he's in Houston, he'll be in and out of McHale's doghouse, especially seeing that he's not in the long-term plans . . . JEREMY LAMB should push Martin for minutes early. Lamb will have some defensive issues, but he's a cagey scorer who should mesh well with Lin . . . CARLOS DELFINO replaces Chase Budinger as the team's most reliable marksman from three-point range . . . TONEY DOUGLAS' defensive ability puts him in the running for a rotation spot . . . SHAUN LIVINGSTON can give them 12 to 15 minutes a night . . . Rookie SCOTT MACHADO, an outstanding passer, will back up Lin . . . GARY FORBES will have trouble finding minutes. FORWARDS: CHANDLER PARSONS was a nice surprise a year ago. He's a fifth option offensively but does the hustle/energy thing well . . . 2011 first-rounder DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS is a skilled 7-footer who fits with Lin. Expect him to grab a starting job by midseason, but he can also play center when required . . . This might be the year PATRICK PATTERSON makes an impact. His game is limited, but he can rebound and score around the basket . . . ROYCE WHITE is a 270-pounder with point guard skills. He needs the ball in his hands though, which is why he's not a great fit with Lin in the starting lineup . . . TERRENCE JONES has a tweener skill set. At this point, he's better suited for the second unit . . . Speaking of 'tweeners, MARCUS MORRIS looks to be nowhere near contributing. CENTERS: OMER ASIK earned his reputation as a defensive stud in Chicago, and he'll get a little more offensive freedom in Houston. He is quite foul-prone though, and he'll be tested on the free-throw line early and often . . . His backup, GREG SMITH, has more fouls (17) than points (14) in his 69-minute NBA career.

PORTLAND: GUARDS: Portland will turn point guard duties over to rookie DAMIAN LILLARD. The leap from Big Sky Conference to NBA will be a big one, but Lillard is an efficient scorer who can manage the offense . . . WESLEY MATTHEWS is more of a glue guy. He can't create his own offense, but he can heat up as a streaky catch-and-shoot guy . . . RONNIE PRICE should emerge as Lillard's top backup, a role he's filled at numerous stops . . . Second-rounder WILL BARTON could emerge as a rotation player. He's a versatile wing who must prove he can play off the ball . . . SASHA PAVLOVIC will play both the two and three, and can still stroke it from long distance . . . NOLAN SMITH, a misstep of the last regime, is a fringe roster player . . . ELLIOT WILLIAMS, a defensive-minded combo guard, tore his Achilles in mid-September and expects to miss the entire season. FORWARDS: LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE had a couple of health scares over the past six months, but he should enter the season 100 percent. He's clearly Portland's best player . . . NICOLAS BATUM felt rightly disrespected by his secondary role in Portland. All signs point to a bigger role in 2012-13 . . . VICTOR CLAVER is an athletic scrapper who won't do much offensively even if he does get big minutes . . . JOEL FREELAND could become their first big man off the bench . . . JARED JEFFRIES is still relevant as a defensive specialist . . . The highlight of LUKE BABBITT's career might be that mention on Onion:Sportsdome. CENTERS: J.J. HICKSON is a black hole on offense and a liability on defense, but he can score and rebound, which is good enough to be the starting center in Portland's weak frontcourt . . . MEYERS LEONARD might not be quite ready for 30-plus minutes, but he'll have to learn on the fly due to Portland's lack of veteran bigs. He has some long-term upside as a 7-footer with some nice athleticism and touch inside 10 feet.

The Portland Trail Blazers aren't getting much bench production and their defense has to get better, but they're hard to beat when they're hitting from 3-point range.

The Houston Rockets found that out earlier this month.

Portland will try to avoid a fourth consecutive home loss Friday night when the Rockets open a three-game western swing.

It's still early, but the Trail Blazers (3-5) have to be concerned with a bench that's averaging a league-low 12.8 points. Their defense also has plenty of room for improvement, as their opponents are shooting 49.4 percent from the field.

Portland, though, has three of the NBA leaders in 3s made with Nicolas Batum (22), rookie Damian Lillard (20) and Wesley Matthews (18). Led by Lillard, who had team highs with five 3s and 22 points, the Trail Blazers hit a season-best 14 from long range in 27 attempts in Tuesday's 103-86 win at Sacramento.

Portland shot 32.2 percent (28 for 87) from beyond the arc while dropping its previous four contests. Ten of the 3s during that slide came in Saturday's 112-109 loss to San Antonio.

"This is a team that can make 3s. They take a lot of 3s (23.0 per game)," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "If they're hot and making shots, you're going to have a tough cover."

The Rockets' perimeter defense was lacking in a 95-85 overtime home loss to Portland on Nov. 3. The Trail Blazers were 10 of 24 from beyond the arc in that contest, with Batum hitting four and Lillard and Matthews going a combined 5 of 13 to help Portland end a four-game skid in this series.

The Trail Blazers, losers of three straight at home to the Rockets, haven't dropped four in a row at the Rose Garden since Feb. 6-16.

Houston (4-4) makes its first trip to Portland this season after Wednesday's 100-96 win over New Orleans capped off its 2-1 homestand. The Rockets, though, know they need to put together a more complete effort during this trip after the Hornets outscored them by 15 in the final 24 minutes.

"We can't keep getting these double-digit leads in the first half and give them away," forward Chandler Parsons said. "We've got to come out there in the third quarter with energy and not allow that."

The Rockets didn't look very energetic in the third quarter on Nov. 3 when they were outscored 27-18 en route to a home-opening defeat.

James Harden, who scored 24 points in that loss, might be looking forward to getting away for a few days. The Houston newcomer is averaging 33.3 points on 51.6 shooting in three road games compared to 22.2 points on 38.9 percent from the field at home.

The Rockets' bench could also play a crucial role during this trip. Houston's reserves finished with 32 points on Wednesday, with Marcus Morris (13) and Toney Douglas (12) doing the most damage.

Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge did plenty of damage in Houston earlier this month, finishing with a team-high 27 points and 11 rebounds.

J.J. Hickson had 12 boards for Portland in that game while Rockets center Omer Asik grabbed 15. Asik (12.9) and Hickson (11.9) are among the NBA rebounding leaders.